The movement of civilians out of the war zone comes as the LTTE conceded defeat after sending out suicide attackers as part of a last-ditch attempt to keep the military's final assault at bay on the square kilometre they control.

"This battle has reached its bitter end. We have decided to silence our guns," the LTTE's diplomatic chief, Selvarajah Pathmanathan, said in a statement posted on the pro-rebel web site www.TamilNet.com on Sunday

A day before, Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapaksa had declared victory after troops seized the entire coast for the first time since the war erupted in 1983.

Rajapaksa is due to formally make a victory announcement in parliament on Tuesday morning.

The final battle picked up speed after the last of 72,000 civilians who have fled over four days were freed, the military said.

Injured civilians were put on to trucks by soldiers and seen driving away from the makeshift tents.

The United Nations and others say the Tigers had been holding them as human shields, and warned that they were at grave risk. (ANI)